"It actually broke through? What's going on?"
The goblin who had approached stared at Kaito in disbelief. The boy had entered the growth stage, yet the energy that erupted was unlike anything they'd seen.
Breaking through to the growth stage was normally insignificant. Most creatures progressed naturally over time. The maturity stage, however, was a different matter — a rare state few goblins ever attained.
But this? This wasn't normal.
"We didn't make any noise when we broke through, right?"
"Yeah," another goblin muttered. "I just woke up one morning, and bam — I was stronger."
"But this? This is like... a king's awakening."
More murmurs followed as goblins stared at Kaito's upright stance. His straightened back, broad shoulders, and confident gaze mimicked the posture of high-ranking goblins — a rare sight among low-level creatures like him.
The Goblin Knight narrowed his eyes. From everything the general had told him, Kaito was just another low-level goblin. Yet this breakthrough... this power... wasn't something an ordinary goblin should possess.
"Strange..." the Goblin Knight muttered under his breath. "This cub isn't normal."
Rosentine stood frozen nearby, her hand covering her mouth. Seeing Kaito — her child — standing tall and transformed unsettled her. His sharp features, his confident stance... he seemed different, yet familiar. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw traces of her own elven kin reflected in him.
"No... that's impossible," she whispered. But doubt lingered.
Boom!
Thunder rumbled in the sky, rolling like the roar of a beast. Dark clouds gathered, smothering the sunlight in black ink.
Outside the goblin nest, a figure stood beneath the ominous sky — the Goblin General.
With a single breath, the General's aura surged outward, swallowing the tension in the air. The restless clouds recoiled, their energy fading to nothing. The sky cleared in moments, sunlight washing over the earth as if the storm had never been.
"General," the goblin shaman Shah muttered nervously. "That commotion... I fear it may attract attention."
"Attention from whom?" the General asked, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
"The Adventurer's Guild," Shah answered grimly. "I've heard rumors... the one called the Goblin Slayer is nearby."
The Goblin General's expression tightened. Memories flickered across his face — a moment of regret, perhaps even fear — but he buried it deep before anyone could notice.
"And the elves," Shah continued. "A group of half-elves is heading this way, led by a pureblooded elf."
"So?" the General said curtly. "What's your point?"
"Should we move or tell our people to lay low?" Shah pressed. "The attention may be too much."
"No," the General interrupted. "Everything continues as normal."
"But..." Shah hesitated, glancing at the distant town.
"We'll observe that boy," the General said. "I want to see just how much he's grown."
Shah sighed, shaking his head. The tension between the goblins' factions weighed heavy — some loyal to their destined king, others seeking power for themselves. While the General kept Kaito's identity concealed, his actions suggested he still believed in the prophecy — that this boy could become a true king.
"I can't rely on the General for this," Shah muttered to himself. "I'll need to prepare... all for the king."